The Rensselaer alumni Web site features improved ease of navigation, upgraded content, and a new consistent look.

After a year-long collaboration between the Office of Alumni Relations and the marketing and communications committee of the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA), Rensselaer’s alumni Web site  www.alumni.rpi.edu  has debuted a new look. Visitors to the site will find that the ease of site navigation has been significantly improved, the content has been upgraded, and the look and feel now match the main Rensselaer site.

“Everything alumni would want to know about Rensselaer is here,” says Jeff Schanz, director of alumni relations. “The latest news about research and things happening on campus; quick links to everything from sports schedules to products and services; upcoming events; and lots of ways to connect with Rensselaer and with their fellow alumni are all found on this site.”

Members of the RAA committee, led by Nancy Schultz, EMBA ’98, provided direction on what would work best from an alumni perspective. Their straw model for the site was the foundation upon which the new structure was built.

“The success of this project was the result of collaboration between the members of the RAA and members of the Rensselaer staff,” says Schultz. “Together we were able to fine-tune messages, create a clear structure to deliver the messages, and provide a means for continuing input and improvement to the site.” The result of this teamwork is a site with a cleaner look, more exciting graphics, and better organized and more useful content.

Visit the site at www.alumni.rpi.edu for information on career services, alumni news and events, Reunion and class information, volunteer involvement opportunities, and a link to the alumni Web community, @RPInet, located at arpinet.rpi.edu. Exclusively for Rensselaer alumni, the site provides a searchable alumni database, online event registration, and E-mail for Life. Access that site by clicking on the icon at the top right-hand corner of the alumni page. Use the ID number printed on the mailing label of this issue of Rensselaer to sign in.

“We hope alumni who want to stay connected with their alma mater will make the new alumni site their home page,” says Schanz. If you have suggestions on how to improve the new site, contact the alumni office at alumni@rpi.edu or (518) 276-6205.

RAA Worldwide Travel Program: 2006 Tours

Visit some of the most exciting and beautiful destinations on Earth with people who share your interests  fellow Rensselaer alumni. Contact the Alumni Office at alumni@rpi.edu or (518) 276-6205 for more information on the following trips:

Electronic Arts: All in the Rensselaer Family

In December 2005, Electronic Media, Arts, and Communications graduates Kyle Doris ’03 and Jim Fisher ’02 won “Best Comedy Feature” in the Hollywood DV Film Festival with their film Minimum Wager. (View the trailer for the film at www.downeffect.com/mw.html.) The festival focuses on creative works shot in digital, video, and high-definition formats. Assisting and appearing in the film was Jeff Briggs ’02; Karl Sandbo ’03 “reverse engineered” and fabricated a lens assembly for the camera used in filming.

Doris’s introduction to the EMAC program came via Rensselaer magazine  his dad is Kenneth Doris ’67, who has applied his own engineering degree to the video gaming field, as vice president of Applied Visions Inc. Their successes illustrate how useful a technological degree may be to a career in film  and enhances Rensselaer’s growing reputation for excellence in the electronic arts. Rensselaer’s commitment to a culture of creativity has paid off for these enterprising graduates.